Longing for a taste of home. The authentic taste of something totally made from scratch, not one that comes out of a package, although in a pinch, beggars really can't be choosers.

I don't know about you but when I google a recipe, I look for the one with the most ingredients ... LOL.. and this one looked like it's authentic enough, as I started salivating just reading through the list. So it made the cut.

Don't let the long list of ingredients set you back, they are easily found in most Asian groceries and with a processor, you are hardly doing any 'ulegan' or the wrist wrenching mortar and pestle grinding. It is absolutely delicious, and it does taste like home!

Ingredients:

6 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

6 large shallots

4 whole heads of garlic

1/4 cup chili paste

1/4 cup ginger

6 tbsp ground coriander

2 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 cup kecap manis

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1-1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

Directions:

1. Blend all the marinade ingredients together, then massage into the cubed chicken pieces.

2. Place in a plastic bag or a large zip lock bag and refrigerate for two to six hours.
While chicken is marinating, prepare the sidekick, peanut sauce, recipe below.
Don't forget to soak the bamboo skewers, now is a good time too.

3. Remove the chicken from the fridge and place in a bowl.

4. Call a few kids to skewer the chicken. It's a great stress reliever.
Leave a bit of space between meat pieces to ensure even cooking.

5. If not using the bbq, bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear.
6. Optional: Broil for 2 minutes to get that 'charred' look.

Peanut Sauce:

2 cups crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup kecap manis

1 head garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chili paste, or to taste

4 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp ground coriander

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

Directions:

1. Place all other ingredients except the water and coconut milk in a blender and process until creamy.
2. In a saucepan on low heat, mix the peanut butter batter and coconut milk, stirring often until it comes to a boil, adding the water to adjust to desired consistency.
3. Cool to room temperature to allow the flavours to meld before serving.

We first sampled these delectable, luscious and super soft creations at a feast for a lunch at Gie's place one Sunday. And because the kids raved about it for days, he decided to share with us his secret for making the mamons.

So today, we were put to the 'gruelling' test of making not one, not two, but four batches of mamons. And surely, after all those trials (and a slight error), we can say that we are confident pulling off a batch at our own kitchen; and possibly even to open a specialty mamon bakery in
Vancouver : D

Gie admits his recipe is a result of 10 years of testing, and it isn't just for anyone and everyone that he will let out this secret. And so that we would get it right, he didn't want to just give us the recipe, he had to make sure we could bake it on our own, by having four practice sessions.

Kudos to Cheekie and Joy who did most of the work, supervised, of course.

Now we know how to execute the recipe, but were it not for the fact that we were making four batches, we wouldn't have known what not to do as well. So before we start the recipe, here are additional tips:

Baking cases:
We did two batches of individual serves. For this, Gie used an ingenious container: aluminium cases (from Costco's pot pies) lined with coffee filters, cut down half an inch. These served two purposes, that they were aluminium, so they baked quicker, and second, the coffee filters were cheaper and fits better than any cupcake liner sold. So we didn't need any special baking tins of muffin pans.

Baking tins:
The second batch was baked in two different pans, aluminium and non stick. Now to truly test these, both of them were on the same rack in the oven. The non stick pan baked faster, in 20 minutes. And the aluminium pan took about 8 more minutes to bake. Both rose the same, however, since we didn't want to remove the non stick pan first, it subsequently produced a more dense and golden cake. And while we lost some millimeters from the middle of the aluminium cake, sagging in, the non stick cake lost none. So there!

The third batch was poured into a Swiss roll pan. We would have reduced the quantity a little bit and put some into single serve cases, as the sheet that resulted was a tad on the thick side. However, these would make excellent bars.

Mixing:
First, make sure the oven is clear before we start the next batch, as after the mixer turns off, it's a race against time to get it from mixing bowl to oven. So we have to work fast.
Second, when we slow down the mixer to add the ingredients to the egg whites, we need to crank it up again really quickly, because the last batch we did produced a bit too many bubbles as a result of mixing gone slow. The resulting mamons became a bit more dense as it didn't have enough air incorporated into the mixture.

Well now that we got that out of the way, here's the much coveted, delectable, lucious, super soft mamon recipe, a result of 10 years of testing... perfected, as only someone with self-proclaimed OCD knows how.

Thank, Gie. Appreciate it immensely.

This recipe makes
10-12 individual pot pie cases, or
2 of 9-inch pans, or
1 half baking sheet of 12x15.
It's never been more important to have everything miss en place for this recipe.

Directions:
1. Prepare baking cases: line cases with coffee filters :), or line tins and pans with parchment paper on the bottom. Do not line or butter the sides.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.

3. Separate eggs. Whites go directly into a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, yolks go into a small bowl.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, then set aside
5. Start mixing the egg whites on low speed, when frothy, add the cream of tartar, then continue mixing on medium high speed until soft peaks form.
6. Add the sugar in 4 instalments, slowing down on the addition and cranking it up again immediately, mixing until stiff peaks form.
7. Now add vanilla (or Cointreau with orange zest), mix till incorporated.
8. When wrinkles or lines appear on top of the mixture, pour the vegetable oil in, mix for a minute.
9. Alternately add egg yolks, then flour in 3 separate batches. Whisk just till mixed. Do not overwork the batter.

10. Very quickly fill baking containers and bake in the same oven rack for:
15-18 minutes for 10-12 single serve cases (2 large scoopfuls or 1 cup each)
20-25 minutes for 2 8-inch pans
15-18 minutes for 1/2 baking sheet, until a skewer comes out clean.
11. Leave on a cooling rack until just slightly warm.
12. When using baking tins/sheet: pry the sides loose with a small metal spatula or knife, then invert to a plate.

13. Best enjoyed immediately.
14. For a local Filipino twist, slather a bit of butter cream and a shaving of freshly grated Romano on top.

Featured Post

About me

Growing up in a multicultural family, we have always enjoyed a wide array of cuisines. That's why you will find here a taste of the Indian, with special emphasis on Sindhi cuisine; a taste of the Indonesian, especially the Manadonese dishes, and surely, the universal Chinese dishes.